Bloorcourt Village
Encyclopedia
Dovercourt Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
situated north of Bloor Street
between Christie Street to the east, the CPR railway lines to the north, Dufferin Street
to the west.
The village was annexed by the old City of Toronto in 1912 resulting in city services being extended to the neighbourhood helping stimulate its growth and development by 1923.
The name Dovercourt comes from the name of the home of the Denison estate, located west of Dundas and Ossington.
BIA posts its streetlamp banners on Bloor between Dufferin and Montrose.
The buildings along Bloor Street are typically two or three stories tall, with retail commercial on the main floor, and offices or rental housing on the remainder. These converted residential structures are the oldest in the district and are often in poor repair. Pigeon infestation remains an issue for tenants. At Dovercourt Road, a large, high-rise apartment complex houses lower-middle-income tenants on the southwest corner.
Businesses on Dovercourt and Hallam, centred around the intersection of Dovercourt Road and Hallam Street have formed their own BIA, the 'Dovercourt Village'. The boundaries stretch from Dupont south to Shanley and east-west from Salem to Ossington Avenue.
The residential area north of Bloor Street is primarily single-family dwellings. Many of these structures have been converted into apartments, housing up to eight separate units. Side-streets increase in zoned density as they approach Bloor. Low and medium-rise apartments occupy the majority of these zones.
To the north, between Dupont and Davenport, is mainly post-industrial development. Limited manufacturing remains, although some warehouse and light automotive industries still exist. While the Canadian Pacific Railway
operates a main line between the two thoroughfares, a large amount of former industrial space has been converted to loft condominiums. Some single-family rowhouses and low-income rental space has also been created.
The Bloor-Gladstone branch of the Toronto Public Library
, dating from 1912, is situated at Bloor and Gladstone Avenue, one block east of Dufferin Avenue. From 2006 to 2009 the library was closed for renovation. It reopened to the public on July 23, 2009.
, Italian
and English
. A large Ethiopia
n population is also present in the area. There are many shops along Bloor Street serving the Portuguese and Ethiopian communities.
In the 2006 Canadian census Dovercourt Park was covered by census tract
s 0095.00 and 0096.00. According to that census, the neighbourhood has 8,497 residents, a 9.2% decrease from the 2001 census. Average income is $28,311, below the average for Toronto. The ten most common language native languages, after English, are:
, Ossington
and Dufferin
stations on the Bloor–Danforth line serve the neighbourhood. The Dufferin bus runs north-south from Dufferin station and the Ossington and Rogers Road bus lines run north from Ossington station.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
situated north of Bloor Street
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
between Christie Street to the east, the CPR railway lines to the north, Dufferin Street
Dufferin Street
Dufferin Street is a major north-south street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions west of Yonge Street. The street starts at the foot of Lake Ontario, continues north to Toronto's northern boundary with some discontinuities and continues into York Region where it...
to the west.
History
The Village of Dovercourt was founded in the 1870s. Its residents were originally poor immigrants from England living in dozens of one and two bedroom tar and paper shacks which initially resulted in the village being called a shantytown.The village was annexed by the old City of Toronto in 1912 resulting in city services being extended to the neighbourhood helping stimulate its growth and development by 1923.
The name Dovercourt comes from the name of the home of the Denison estate, located west of Dundas and Ossington.
Character
The neighbourhood contains a mixture of land-uses. The main thoroughfare of Bloor Street consists almost exclusively of mixed-use residential and commercial buildings. The Bloorcourt VillageBloorcourt Village
Dovercourt Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada situated north of Bloor Street between Christie Street to the east, the CPR railway lines to the north, Dufferin Street to the west.-History:The Village of Dovercourt was founded in the 1870s...
BIA posts its streetlamp banners on Bloor between Dufferin and Montrose.
The buildings along Bloor Street are typically two or three stories tall, with retail commercial on the main floor, and offices or rental housing on the remainder. These converted residential structures are the oldest in the district and are often in poor repair. Pigeon infestation remains an issue for tenants. At Dovercourt Road, a large, high-rise apartment complex houses lower-middle-income tenants on the southwest corner.
Businesses on Dovercourt and Hallam, centred around the intersection of Dovercourt Road and Hallam Street have formed their own BIA, the 'Dovercourt Village'. The boundaries stretch from Dupont south to Shanley and east-west from Salem to Ossington Avenue.
The residential area north of Bloor Street is primarily single-family dwellings. Many of these structures have been converted into apartments, housing up to eight separate units. Side-streets increase in zoned density as they approach Bloor. Low and medium-rise apartments occupy the majority of these zones.
To the north, between Dupont and Davenport, is mainly post-industrial development. Limited manufacturing remains, although some warehouse and light automotive industries still exist. While the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
operates a main line between the two thoroughfares, a large amount of former industrial space has been converted to loft condominiums. Some single-family rowhouses and low-income rental space has also been created.
The Bloor-Gladstone branch of the Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library is a public library system based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest public library system in Canada and in 2008, had averaged a higher...
, dating from 1912, is situated at Bloor and Gladstone Avenue, one block east of Dufferin Avenue. From 2006 to 2009 the library was closed for renovation. It reopened to the public on July 23, 2009.
Schools
- Dovercourt Junior Public School is a public elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
on Bartlett Avenue, north of Hallam. - Essex Public School is a public elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and middle schoolMiddle schoolMiddle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
on Essex Street, east of Shaw. - Pauline Public School is a public elementary school on Pauline Avenue, north-west of Bloor and Dufferin.
Demographics
For city demographics purposes the area is amalgamated with neighbouring areas to form Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-Junction It is an ethnically diverse area. A majority of residents are fluent in PortuguesePortuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. A large Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n population is also present in the area. There are many shops along Bloor Street serving the Portuguese and Ethiopian communities.
In the 2006 Canadian census Dovercourt Park was covered by census tract
Census tract
A census tract, census area, or census district is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county...
s 0095.00 and 0096.00. According to that census, the neighbourhood has 8,497 residents, a 9.2% decrease from the 2001 census. Average income is $28,311, below the average for Toronto. The ten most common language native languages, after English, are:
- Portuguese - 13.1%
- Unspecified Chinese - 3.5%
- Spanish - 3.5%
- Italian - 3.4%
- Cantonese - 2.8%
- Greek - 1.5%
- Mandarin - 1.5%
- Vietnamese - 1.0%
- French - 0.8%
- Urdu - 0.7%
Transportation
LansdowneLansdowne (TTC)
Lansdowne is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. Its official address is 1287 Bloor Street West, although the main station is located just north of Bloor Street on Lansdowne Avenue. Opened in 1966, the station lies approximately 561 metres from its nearest...
, Ossington
Ossington (TTC)
Ossington is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 883 Bloor Street West at Ossington Avenue. It was opened in 1966.-Entrances:...
and Dufferin
Dufferin (TTC)
Dufferin is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 1126 Bloor Street West at Dufferin Street...
stations on the Bloor–Danforth line serve the neighbourhood. The Dufferin bus runs north-south from Dufferin station and the Ossington and Rogers Road bus lines run north from Ossington station.